1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fluid handling processes and apparatus. More particularly, this invention relates to new methods and apparatus for enclosing fluidic oscillators or inserts so as to improve their performance.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fluidic inserts or oscillators are well known for their ability to provide a wide range of distinctive liquid sprays. The distinctiveness of these sprays is due to the fact that they are characterized by being oscillatory in nature, as compared to the relatively steady state flows that are emitted from standard spray nozzles.
FIG. 1 from U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,002 (Stouffer & Bray) demonstrates the oscillatory nature of the spray from a typical fluidic oscillator. It shows what can be considered to be the essentially temporally varying, two-dimensional, planar flow pattern (i.e., in the x-y plane of the oscillator, and assuming that the width of the oscillator in the z-direction is large in comparison to its throat or outlet dimension) of a liquid jet or spray that issues from the oscillator into a surrounding gaseous environment and breaks into droplets which are distributed transversely (i.e., in the y-direction) to the jet's generally x-direction of flow. Such spray patterns may be described by the definable characteristics of their droplets (e.g., the volume flow rate of the spray, the spray's area of coverage, the spatial distribution of droplets in planes perpendicular to the direction of flow of the spray and at various distances in front of the oscillator's outlet, the average droplet velocities, the average size of the droplets, and the frequency at which the droplets impact on an obstacle in the path of the spray).
A fluidic insert is generally thought of as a thin, rectangular member that is molded or fabricated from plastic and has an especially-designed, uniform depth, liquid flow channel fabricated into either its broader top or bottom surface, and sometimes both (assuming that this fluidic insert is of the standard type that is to be inserted into the cavity of a housing whose inner walls are configured to form a liquid-tight seal around the insert and form an outside wall for the insert's boundary surface/s which contain the especially designed flow channels). See FIG. 2A. Pressurized liquid enters such an insert and is sprayed from it.
Although it is more practical from a manufacturing standpoint to construct these inserts as thin rectangular members with flow channels in their top or bottom surfaces, it should be recognized that they can be constructed so that their liquid flow channels are placed practically anywhere (e.g., on a plane that passes though the member's center) within the member's body; in such instances the insert would have a clearly defined channel inlet and outlet. For example, see FIG. 2B from U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,034 (Hess) which shows a two-part (50a, 50b), fluidic insert whose exterior surface is cylindrical so that this insert can be fitted into a similarly shaped housing (72).
Additionally, it should be recognized that these flow channels need not be of a uniform depth. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,904 (Bray), U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,126 (Bray) and RE38,013 (Stouffer) for fluidic oscillators in which the bottom surfaces of these channels are discretely and uniformly sloped so as to impact the ways in which the sprays from these oscillators spread as the move away from the oscillator's outlet.
There are many well known designs of fluidic circuits that are suitable for use with such fluidic inserts. Many of these have some common features, including: (a) at least one power nozzle configured to accelerate the movement of the liquid that flows under pressure through the insert, (b) an interaction chamber through which the liquid flows and in which the flow phenomena is initiated that will eventually lead to the spray from the insert being of an oscillating nature, (c) an liquid inlet, (d) a pathway that connects the inlet and the power nozzle/s, and (e) an outlet or throat from which the liquid sprays from the insert.
Examples of fluidic circuits may be found in many patents, including U.S. Pat. No. 3,185,166 (Horton & Bowles), U.S. Pat. No. 3,563,462 (Bauer), U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,002 (Stouffer & Bray), U.S. Pat. No. 4,151,955 (Stouffer), U.S. Pat. No. 4,157,161 (Bauer), U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,519 (Stouffer), which was reissued as RE 33,158, U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,267 (Stouffer), U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,361 (Stouffer), U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,269 (Srinath), U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,301 (Stouffer), U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,409 (Srinath) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,782 (Raghu).
Despite much prior art relating to the development of fluidic circuits, the nature of the housings or enclosures that surround fluidic oscillators have not changed much over the years. For example, FIG. 2A shows a housing that was developed for automotive windshield washing applications—one of the first areas in which such fluidic inserts were extensively used. A fluidic oscillator is inserted into an especially configured cavity in the housing's front face. The overall shape of the housing's exterior is aerodynamically configured from its rear to its front face in consideration of the fact that this housing will be mounted on an automobile's hood and in front of its windshield.
FIG. 3 from U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,491 (Hahn) shows a housing (1) that is notable for its having two cavities into which cooperating fluidic oscillators are inserted.
FIGS. 4A and 4B from U.S. Patent Publication No. (USPPN) 2004-0227021 show a housing (84) whose exterior surface has been especially configured to allow this housing and its enclosed fluidic oscillator to be used as part of a “quick disconnect” nozzle assembly.
FIG. 5 from USPPN 2004-0164189, Ser. No. 10/673,727, shows a housing (42) which also has an exterior surface that has been especially configured to allow this housing to be used as part of a specialized nozzle assembly (i.e., a showerhead). It also has a cavity that is especially configured to accept a stack of fluidic oscillators (10) in which the centerlines of the adjoining oscillators have a specified, included angle of divergence.
While one generally thinks of the enclosures for these oscillators as being of an almost totally enclosing nature (in which case, we herein refer to them as housings), this need not be the case. FIG. 6 from U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,845 (Merke et al.) shows a “lid” (32) for enclosing only the boundary surface of the oscillator in which the fluidic circuit is located.
As fluidic oscillators have continued to be used in more types of applications, the opportunity has arisen to re-examine and improve upon the design of their enclosures as a way to improve upon the overall spraying performance of the nozzle assemblies, etc. which use fluidic oscillators.
3. Objects and Advantages
There has been summarized above, rather broadly, the prior art that is related to the present invention in order that the context of the present invention may be better understood and appreciated. In this regard, it is instructive to also consider the objects and advantages of the present invention.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an assortment of individual housings or enclosures for fluidic oscillators that can be helpful in improving upon the actual spray performance of the spray devices or nozzle assemblies that utilize fluidic oscillators.
It is an object of the present invention to provide fluidic spray assemblies (i.e., fluidic oscillators with novel enclosures) that can provide specific types of desired sprays that have heretofore not been achievable with conventional fluidic technology. For example, to uniformly cover a relatively large surface area (e.g., a 400 cm area at a distance of 30 cm from the spray head's exit) with liquid droplets that have large diameters (e.g., >2 mm), high velocities (e.g., > or ˜4 m/sec) and possibly pulsating frequencies that are in the range of perception by the human body (e.g., < or ˜30-60 hertz).
It is an object of the present invention to provide improved and more versatile enclosures and fluidic spray assemblies that are ideally designed for shower head and body spray applications.
It is an object of the present invention to provide enclosures and fluidic spray assemblies that operate at low flow rates in shower head and body spray applications so as to yield significant water savings.
It is an object of the present invention to provide improved enclosures and fluidic spray assemblies that are ideally designed for an assortment of commercial cleaning applications.
It is an object of the present invention to provide enclosures and fluidic spray assemblies that can allow for reduced flow rates, while still yielding sprays that provide the same tactile sensations as they impact upon the skin of a user.
It is an object of the present invention to provide enclosures and fluidic spray assemblies that can allow for reduced energy consumption, while still yielding sprays that provide the same tactile sensations as they impact upon the skin of a user.
It is an object of the present invention to provide enclosures and fluidic spray assemblies that can make “less water” feel like “more water” (i.e., providing low flow rate sprays that provide the same tactile sensations as they impact upon the skin of a user).
It is an object of the present invention to provide enclosures and fluidic spray assemblies that prove to be ideally suited for shower massaging applications.
It is an object of the present invention to provide enclosures and fluidic spray assemblies that prove to be ideally suited for shower non-massaging applications.
It is an object of the present invention to provide enclosures and fluidic spray assemblies that allow a user to better direct and control the location of the areas being wetted by the sprays from such assemblies.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent as the invention is better understood by reference to the accompanying summary, drawings and the detailed description that follows.